"There is always another appointment to be met, another bill to pay, another symptom presenting, another uneventful day to be notched on the wooden wall. We have sychronized our watches, studied our calendars, existed in minutes, and completely forgotten to step back and see what we've accomplished."

~ Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper

Joanna and Mitch, thanks for the quote!

Image: Interpretation of Sunset

J. Paykel ( 2004)

Infinite Potential

You were born with infinite potential.

Believe it. Embrace it.

Share it.

Photo:Cottage Christmas, 2007
Joanna, Alex, Mitchell, Shayne

Leave a Trail

"Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I Believe

First heard this Brooks and Dunn song 4 years ago.... now, as then, it serves as a source of strength and inspiration.

The Ukele, a Little Boy and The Hippy Song

Music is so amazing! The joy is apparent - even without knowing all the words!




Thanks for the post, Joanna!

Misperceptions

Only your misperceptions stand in your way.

Happiness

Happiness
When one's spiritual needs are met
by an untroubled inner life.
Happiness comes when your work and words
are of benefit to yourself and others.

Amazing Story About a Very Lucky Coyote

snopes.com: Lucky Coyote

Posted using ShareThis
Thanks for the story, Mitch!

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

~ Marianne Williamson

She Kicks Like a Girl!!!

What defines you?

If what you did yesterday defines you,

then you haven't done much today.

~ Dr. Lou Holtz

Strength

There are two ways of exerting one's strength;
one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.

~ Booker T. Washington

Make it GREAT

When you consistently make average
GREAT
your dreams will become a reality.

~ Suze Orman

Today's Gonna Be a Good Day

This is an amazing YouTube video that demonstrates how 20,000 people can ride the same vibe and synchronize. Truly, AWESOME!!

Chicago and the Black Eyed Peas surprise Oprah as she kicks off her 24th season.

Silence is Golden

A fool is known by his speech

and a wise man by silence

~ Pythagoras

Photo: Fish in tank

Taken 1/10/09 VB VA

All That You Already Have

If you just look at all that already exists in your life, all that you already have: unlimited air to breathe, ample lighting to see, music to hear, books to read, stars to dream by, trees to gaze at, floors to dance on, friends to cavort with, enemies to befriend, strangers to meet, woods to walk through, beaches to comb, rocks to scale, rains to cleanse you, rivers to float you, animals to comfort you, you do have to admit, life is good if we reach out and live it!

Bugs on the Windshield

Princess Mia planned to recuse her royal position as Princess of Genovia and declined making a public speech as she had previously been humiliated by the press.

"You wouldn't stop driving your mustang because a couple of bugs hit the windshield. Would you?"

replied her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia (Julie Andrews) to an anxious granddaughter and Princess-heir apparent , Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) in The Princess Diaries, 2001.

I'm Yours

by Jason Mraz
(just love, love, love the song!)

Hope Still Lives

The work goes on,
the cause endures,
the hope still lives and
the dreams shall never die.

~Ted Kennedy
1932-2009

The Universe Conspires in Your Favor

"When a person really desires something,

all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream...
Don't give into your fears," said the alchemist,
in a strangely gentle voice.
"If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart."

Quote:
The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coehlo
published in 1988 in Portugese, translated into English in 1994

Happy Birthday, Mitchell

25 years ago today
I gave birth to our eldest son, Mitchell.
What a wonderful day it was...
Peculiarly cool and rainy for an August day.
He was such a precious baby and so aware of his surroundings.
It was amazing how Mitchell would cry and cry in the nursery
but was content immediately upon hearing our voices.
The nurses dubbed Mitch "Billy Idol" due to his mop of blond hair
that extended from his scalp like it was electrified.
Little did we know,
that was a glimpse of the energy emanating from his rapidly firing neurons...
which has yet to lag.
We took him home on August 5th - a searing hot day.
And, so , our rich experiences as parents began.
We look forward to so many more.

Happy Birthday to our beloved son, Mitchell John Anthony.
You are a blessing in our lives.
Love, Mom and Dad

Picture:
Mitchell taking a bath
"getting excited"
10 months old with only 1 tooth
Menomonee Falls, WI 1985

Happy Birthday, Stuart - #46

Happy birthday to the man we love and adore.
You mean the world, moon and universe to us!!

Photo: Air and Space Center
Hampton, VA
2009

Wondering

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas,
at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars,
and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."

- St. Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

Photo:
water reflection of face
tsu_tsu @flickr.com

Be There Totally

Where ever you are, be there totally.

~ Eckhart Tolle

Photo: Tom Watson
At age 59 marching towards victory
British Open, 2009

What You Do Matters

"Do not worry so much all the time, my friend, about the other people, what they say. And do not have so many strong opinions, so many strong judgments. What you do matters. And what you think matters...Here is Buddhist prayer," he said, and he rolled off a few sentences in what must have been Ortyk, then struggling just a bit, translated them. "All that we are is the result of what we have thought: It is built on our thoughts, it is made from our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with evil thought, pain follows him, just like the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the...cart....If a person speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves."


One of my favorite excerpts from the delightful novel Breakfast with Buddha written by Roland Merullo. This story is insightful, slightly irreverant and loving. A wonderful primer on how to live gently.

Namaste.

Stand Up to Your Obstacles

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them.
You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Painting: Obstacles by Bruce Price

25 Years Married Today

Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be.

In a time when nothing is more certain than change,
the commitment of two people to one another has become difficult and rare.
Yet, by its scarcity, the beauty and value of this exchange have only been enhanced.

~ Sexton, Robert

Photo: Stuart and Jackie 2009

Milton H. Erickson - The Father of Modern Hypnotherapy

Milton H. Erickson (1901- 1980) was an American Psychiatrist who specialized in medical hypnosis. His story is fascinating and inspiring. As a young man of 17 he was stricken with polio. His incredible recovery is briefly recounted below. Not only does his story offer inspiration, but insight into experiential wisdom and application for the betterment of the human condition.


Milton Erickson was always delighted to recount that he was one of the few people who traveled East in a covered wagon. His love of doing things differently was a theme in his life as well as in the way he practiced psychotherapy. His unique approaches have impacted and changed psychotherapy in a pivotal way.

Born in 1901, in Aurum, Nevada, a long vanished silver-mining town, he was Albert and Clara Erickson's second child. When he was five, the family moved to Lowell, Wisconsin, and began farming on 80 acres. The family eventually grew to 7 girls and 2 boys, which was a distinct disadvantage in the epoch of clear male and female work roles. The family frequently "loaned out" a girl for kitchen duties in exchange for an extra hand at crop time.

Even as a child, Milton was recognized as different. His schoolmates called him "Pat" because he always had his lessons "down pat." There was a paucity of printed material in his farm community and he already had an insatiable appetite for reading. He amused himself by reading the dictionary. While still a teenager, he began his prolific publishing career, writing an article about the problems of youths on farms for a national magazine. He enjoyed writing for newspapers as a student and continued to contribute to newspapers for many years. His submissions ranged from serious editorials to humorous anecdotes.

He admired the wise country doctor, as a youngster, and planned that career for himself. Then at 17, he was stricken by poliomyelitis. He spent a great deal of time analyzing the intricacies and hidden messages of the conversations in rooms adjacent to his bedroom as he lay paralyzed. His examination of minute details of the relationships between thinking and healing and the effects of the mind on the body proved to be key elements in his recovery.

As a transition back to physical well-being, Milton planned a camping trip by canoe from the Wisconsin River in Milwaukee down the Mississippi to St. Louis. A friend who was going with him canceled at the last minute. As Milton's parents were already uncomfortable with this trip, he decided not to tell them it would be a solitary venture. He began his trip with $5.00 in his pocket and being carried to the river because he couldn't walk far. There would be many portages with his canoe, but he decided he could depend on his wits until he could develop the muscles he needed. He was confident that even alone he would manage.

He paddled home after six weeks. He still had his $5.00, was tanned and had developed enormous shoulder muscle strength. He had learned to walk again, supported only by a cane. The trip impacted him and his thinking for the rest of his life. Many nights, he had "earned" his supper by telling stories to fishermen along the river and he recognized the power of stories the rest of his life. He became even more appreciative of the power of nature to soothe and teach. Erickson always relished learning and on this trip, he was able to see other ways of living. He talked to and learned from the company of people whose life styles were totally outside his experiences.

In Erickson's youth was marked with times of isolation and solitude as well as intervals of physical hardship. His life philosophy was shaped by the resulting appreciation of the values of observation, patience, perseverance, and hard work. All surroundings provide solutions, whether the circumstances are sparse, filled with adversities or teeming with yet-to-be discovered possibilities for the navigation of life. This life philosophy, this different view of the resources available within each person and the environment shaped his professional views and created a broader spectrum for psychotherapy.

Lesson from Dad

I remember many, many times my father said to me,

"You must learn to bend like a weeping willow in the wind or

eventually you'll break."

Have you ever tried to break a weeping willow branch?

You can't.

I am that weeping willow drinking from the stream of life.

Stuart Alexander Paykel

They were little once.
And, now they’re all grown up – well, kind of.

Alex, our youngest son of three, graduates from high school today.
It sure is a bitter-sweet moment in my life.
I take solace knowing that he will continue to grow as a man
And hopefully use the wisdom he’s gained thus far.
I hope he understands that he can rely upon his family and best of friends
To help right his way when he strays
To celebrate his successes and passions
To support him through those difficult times when personal growth is inevitable
To love him for who he is and not who we wished he was.
Because, to me, with all the ups and downs,
The laughter, the tears, the terror, the hugs, the girls, the Alexisms
The wrecked cars, the name changes, the broken bones, the messy rooms and loud music

Stuart Alexander Paykel

has illuminated our lives.
I simply wouldn’t have him any other way.

Alex, please continue to live with passion.
Share your gifts. Do the unexpected.
And, most of all, know you are loved…Unconditionally.

Love, Mom

Photo:Michi, Alex, Alexio, Clay and Kelsey
2009 graduates of Western Branch High School

Achievement

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal;

nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

~ Thomas Jefferson

Photo: Michael Phelps

Here's a Magical Question that Changes EVERYTHING!

by Ken Winston Caine

Here’s a magical question that changes EVERYTHING! Practice asking it of yourself throughout your day.

Especially ask it when feeling overwhelm, upset, frustration, and so forth. The question:

How would you like to feel right now?

Put it in the first person form, of course. That is:

How would I like to feel right now?

And be perfectly honest — and really, really sure of your answer.

And then:

Feel that way.

Allow yourself to feel the way you would like to feel right now.

And allow yourself to be vigilant about noticing and letting go of any conflicting feelings and thoughts that attempt to assert themselves. And, when you become aware that conflicting feelings and thoughts HAVE asserted themselves and are busy making messes of your internal emotional environment and mental clarity, allow yourself to pause … and ask the question again.

You’ll be surprised.

The more you practice this, the better you’ll get at it.

About the Authour: Ken Winston Kaine is a Holistic Self-Help Doc' exploring the frontiers of holistics & personal development ...Sharing 'what works, what doesn't, and what's simply freakin' fascinating

Live Today for Today

"That which you think about, you create.
Thoughts are things!
And that which you think about, good or bad -
you create into your own reality."
Author Unknown

Street sense: Formerly homeless, UW med school grad has traveled long road

Jennifer Jenkins took a break between her third and fourth years of medical school to practice what is called "street medicine" with an organization in Pittsburgh. She made "house calls" on the streets, handing out medicine, socks and sandwiches. And she was glad to do it. Jenkins, 35, was once there herself.

"There's nothing special about me," says Jenkins, sitting in a cafe on Willy Street just days after graduating from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. "You should see the resilience of the homeless people on the street."

Jenkins, who spent about five years in her early 20s bouncing between the streets, shelters and "benevolent couches" of strangers and friends, was born in Willingboro, N.J., the oldest daughter of a West Point graduate. Her dad moved the family between Army bases until Jenkins was 8, when they settled in Milwaukee. They didn't have much money, even when her father returned to law school and got his degree. Jenkins says her father wasn't outgoing enough to bring in clients.

Her family life was extremely unstable and touched by violence and abuse, says Jenkins, who has a brother and a sister.

"I had to grow up very fast," she says. "But sometimes when you do that, even though you may have the practical know-how to move through this world, there are social and emotional lessons that might have to be learned the hard way along the way."

After graduating high school at 17, Jenkins moved to Madison to attend UW. She was put on probation in her second year due to poor grades but left school before she could get kicked out....

Read the rest of Jennifer's amazing story

Photo:
Recent UW medical school graduate Jennifer Jenkins (left) hopes to devote her medical career to "outsiders," such as homeless men and women, as she was once homeless herself.

Silence Is The Great Teacher

Silence is the great teacher, and to learn its lessons you must pay attention to it.

There is no substitute for the creative inspiration, knowledge, and stability

that come from knowing how to contact your core of inner silence.

The great Sufi poet Rumi wrote, "Only let the moving waters calm down,

and the sun and moon will be reflected on the surface of your being."

~ Deepak Chopra

Photo: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Susan Boyle Wows Again with "Memory"

Susan Boyle wows the judges and audience again
on Britain's Got Talent singing "Memory" from Cats.
She remains an inspiration for the world in difficult times.

Time to Blossom

There came a time
when the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

~ Anais Nin ~

A Better Way

"There's a way to do it better—find it."

— Thomas Edison

Kindness

Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today,

but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.

~Dale Carnegie

Photo: Jackie and Chimp
Smithsonian Theater, 2009

Safety

The desire for safety stands against every

great and noble enterprise.

~ Publius Cornelius Tacitus

55 - 120 A.D.

Katie Visco - Pave Your Lane

The Dalai Lama Serves Hope to San Francisco Homeless

The Dalai Lama helps serve lunch at a San Francisco soup kitchen on Sunday, April 26, 2009. Addressing visitors at the Martin de Porres House of Hospitality, the Dalai Lama spoke of his position as Tibet's exiled spiritual leader saying
'Me too, homeless person.'

Life is Always Changing

Life is always changing; we are always changing. We live in a river of change, and a river of change lives within us. Every day we're given a choice: We can relax and float in the direction that the water flows, or we can swim hard against it. If we go with the river, the energy of a thousand mountain streams will be with us, filling our hearts with courage and enthusiasm. If we resist the river, we will feel rankled and tired as we tread water, stuck in the same place.

~ Elizabeth Lesser
Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow

I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle appeared on Britain's Got Talent and
left the audience and judges awed and inspired.
Just click HERE or on Susan's photo to see the You Tube performance.

Monique and the Mango Rains

Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway-Bidwell is the true story of the life and death of a remarkable West African midwife, seen through the eyes of a young Peace Corps Volunteer who worked side-by-side with her, birthing babies and caring for mothers, in a remote, impoverished village. It is a rare tale of friendship that reaches beyond borders to vividly and irrevocably unite another woman’s world with our own.

Unfortunately, Monique, who undoubtedly saved hundreds of lives, fell victim to the maternal mortality statistics of Mali. She died giving birth to her fifth child. However, this is an incredibly inspirational story that lives on. A clinic that holds Monique's name is under construction in Mali. Kris and John Bidwell have established a non-profit organization to help fund the construction of the clinic. They are still in need of donations to finish construction and equip this health and birthing center that undoubtedly will contribute to the saving of many, many lives.

Click HERE to know more about this inspirational effort

Click HERE to buy the book

Click HERE to make a donation

Monique and the Mango Rains

Excerpt from Chapter One

Monique's face was calm, her eyes focused. She began talking Kadjatou through each contraction, with Alima repeating her words in a whispered echo. "Akanyi...I be se, I be se-Good...you can do it, you can do it." Monique's tone and Kadjatou's pushing were in sync, building up and falling down like surf stroking a beach. Her voice seemed the only connection between them and the outside world. Finally, Kadjatou bore down as if pulled by an invisible force. Monique's voice grew stronger and louder, the words stretching out as Kadjatou's body surged forward and birthed the head. A big, slimy globe covered in dark, wavy hair. It hung there. I held my breath. We waited. Another contraction came, and another, each revealing more of the baby's body, until finally the whole child slipped out. I exhaled deeply and stared at the ginger-colored newborn.

Monique quickly took the baby boy and cradled him in her long, muscled arm. She gently massaged his chest with the palm of her hand, leathery fingers sliding over his fragile skin. Finally he opened his mouth, took his first gasp of air, and wailed. Monique cut the blue umbilical cord and began washing him as he sputtered loud protests. Monique's son Basil awoke on her back and began howling, a fine baritone to accompany the new arrival's soprano. Monique wrapped the baby in a towel and placed him beside the medical kit. As Kadjatou pushed out her placenta, Monique caught it in the plastic tub and began inspecting it to make sure that nothing was left inside the new mother. The babies continued their deafening duet. My mouth hung open. I didn't know what to say or think. My dress stuck to my back, wet with perspiration.

Like smoke, I drifted to the corner of the room and down to my knees. I felt overcome with awe and fatigue. I couldn't believe we all got here this way. I couldn't believe that here, in this dilapidated box, Monique, with a sixth-grade education and nine months of medical training, was birthing babies. Lots of babies. She was responsible for the future of this village. No electricity, no running water, no safety net of ambulances and emergency rooms. I knew that Mali had one of the highest rates of maternal death in the world. I'd read a sobering statistic that placed a Malian woman's lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth around one in twelve, compared to a U.S. woman's risk of one in over three thousand. Even if one accounts for the fact that Malian women have many more children than American women, and thus are at risk for more years, the difference in the death rate is still huge. Monique was constantly battling the odds. It was so awful, so miraculous. I wanted to get up and help out, but I couldn't do a thing....

Dare Mighty Things

Far better is it to dare mighty things

than to rank with those poor spirits who
neither enjoy much nor suffer much,

because they live in a gray twilight

that knows not victory nor defeat.

Author - Unknown

On Parenting

To trust who our child is, and not who we think he should be or what the world wants him to be - that perhaps is the single greatest gift a parent can give. Faith in our child's own destiny, in the destiny of his soul - that's the one ingredient that will make the biggest difference in our parenting....

It is not enough just to value who they are; we must also get in their way when they don't want us to, and get out of their way when we don't want to. We must fumble around with that delicate balance between control and leniency, fear and trust, holding on and letting go, until the parenting adventure is over. The good news and the bad news is that it's never over.

Excerpt from Broken Open
by Elizabeth Lesser

Photo: Alex, Joanna, Mitch & Shayne
Christmas, 2008
Richfield, WI

The Holy Longing

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Tell a wise person, or else keep silent.
Because the massman will mock it right away.
I praise what is truly alive,
what longs to be burned to death.

In the calm water of the love-nights,
where you were begotten, where you have begotten,
a strange feeling comes over you
when you see the silent candle burning.

Now you are no longer caught
in the obsession with darkness,
and a desire for higher lovemaking
sweeps you upward.

Distance does not make you falter,
now, arriving in magic, flying,
and finally, insane for the light,
you are the butterfly and you are gone.

And so long as you haven't experienced
this: to die and so to grow,
you are only a troubled guest
on the dark earth.

The Great Truth

The small truth may be that you are sick today, or have PMS, or a cold, or feel feeble and weak. The Great Truth is that you are infinitely capable of doing good, thinking and saying kind words, and acting in gentle and loving ways.

~ Jeanne House & Dawson Church , PhD

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Photo: Display in the Simthsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History - Washington, D.C.

Dance in the Rain

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Photo: Gene Kelly
Singin' in the Rain

Happy Birthday, Dad

Thank you for the laughter,
For the good times that we share,
Thanks for always listening,
For trying to be fair.

Thank you for your comfort,
When things are going bad,
Thank you for the shoulder,
To cry on when I'm sad.

This poem is a reminder that
All my life through,
I'll be thanking Heaven
For a Special Dad like you.

Photo: Dad and Mom, 2007

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Love, Jackie

The Search for Truth

"The right to search for truth implies also a duty;

one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true."

~ Albert Einstein

Painting: Sunset on the Seine Winter effect

Claude Monet 1890

The Rapture of Being Alive

People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life.
I don't think that's what we're really seeking.
I think that what we're seeking
is an experience of being alive...
so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.

~ Joseph Campbell

Photo: Sunset over the Pacific Ocean
La Serena, Chile

It's In The Valley I Grow

Broken

Learn the alchemy
true human beings know.
The moment you accept
the troubles you've been given,
the door will open.
~Rumi

At this point over 100 posts have been made to Positively Inspiring. The purpose at the inception of this blog was to keep positivity flowing amongst those I missed most having been geographically separated from my husband, two sons, parents, numerous siblings and many friends to start a new job 1200 miles away. The accumulation of positive expression has been consistent. However, through many dark days, I've needed to search for even a glimmer of positivity. It is the effort applied to create the post that has offered relief - allowing me to feel a little less anxious, even somewhat better, if only for moments. Though these almost-daily entries have been helpful and the collection such that I value their reflection, perhaps it's more inspirational to be more candid, more real. Because, to put it simply, life can be hard. And, over the last year, life has been very hard.

Not all is lost, though. Stuart gave me a wonderful gift for Valentine's Day - a book (surprise, surprise) written by Elizabeth Lesser: Broken Open - How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow. This book is a blessing. Lesser puts into perspective the value of difficult times; the blessings and opportunities they represent if one is willing to engage them; to use the "broken" moments in one's life to transform and evolve from "Once-born innocence to twice-born wisdom". These opportunities should be treasured if one can see through the fog of disappointment, self-doubt and fear. I am getting better at this - far from perfect- but, I am getting better.

Live to Purpose

The great and glorious masterpiece of (wo)man is to know how to live to purpose.

~ Michel de Montaigne

Photo: Traditional Birth Attendants

Phulpadar Village, Orissa, India

Read about the importance of Traditional Birth Attendants here